Bookmarker



A. C. SPRAGUE.

BQQKMARKEB. I APPLICAIION FILED FEB. f4, 1920.

Patented July 20, 1920.

ABBIE- C. SPRAGUE, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

'BOOKMARKER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J111y'20, 192( Application filed February 14,1920. SeriaINO. 358,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit knownthat I, Annie C. SPRAG E, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusettghave invented an Improvement in 'Bookmarkers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to book-markers,

and more particularly to means for marking a plurality of pages of'a book in such a manner that they may be readily referred .to in a predetermined order irrespective of the pos1t1on of the various pages inthe book to be referred to.

It is very often desi'rable to read certain I passages or selections located in dilferent portions of a book, in the order in which they are referred to in some other book, note or memorandum, but if the reader has to divert his attention from what he is reading to look up the next selection to be read, the reading is less satisfactory than it would be if the interruptionhad been avoided. It is therefore desirable, before starting to read any of the several selections, to mark the same so thatthey may be easily and quickly found in the order they are to be read.

The marking of the pages of a book for this purpose is comparatively easy if the selections to be referred to in apredetermined order are found upon the pages in the order in which the latter are arranged between the covers of the. book, for in this case, all that is necessary is to insert pieces of paper or other markers between the pages ofthe book and then read the passages. in;

the order these markers are arranged, from one cover of the book to the other. But if the passages to be referred to are not found in the order just mentioned, it is much more difficult to satisfactorily indicate the order in which the same are to be read; for example, if apage conta ns apassage whlch is to be read after the passages upon pages spaced upon opposite sides of the same are read, this order of reading cannot be indicated by merely inserting markers between the pages of the book. I a v 4.

The primary object of the present-invention, therefore, is to provide a very satisface tory. book marker which-maybe easily and qulcklyarranged to indicate the location of the various passages to be referred to," and 1 the order in which the same are to be read,

irrespective of the location of the same within the book. I more specific'object of the invention is to provide a book-marker consisting of ribbons or other markers insertible between the pages of a book, andito provide an end of these markers withmeans for holding the same adjacent each other in. the order in which the selections indicated,

thereby aretobe referred to. The/markers are made of flexible material in order that,"

when necessary one may be crossed over the other so that the ends ofv the same may be.

held in the order the selections are to be read, irrespective of the portion of thebook a in which each selection to be read is located.-

The above and other features of the invention and novel. combinations of parts will. be-best made'clear from the following description and accompanying drawing of a good practical form of the invention and its various novel characteristics.

In the drawing: w

Figure l is a perspective view of a book showing the application of my invention thereto; and r Fig. 2 is a front view of the means for re movably securing my marker to a book.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing is'shown a book of the usual or any preferred construction and provided with backs or covers 10 and I 11. This book is shown as heldin an open position by-one hand 12, and-the other hand 13 is shown in the act of opening the book,

to a portion of the same neXt to be referred to, as indicated by, one of the markers.

In the" embodiment of myinvention shown,.Ihave illustrated aplurality of ribbons or markers designated as 14, 15, 16. and

17 adapted to be inserted between the pages V of a book to readily designate the different.

pages to be referred to. In order thatthe pages that are thus marked may be readily referred to in a predetermined order, I have provided a headed pin or the-like, 18, adapt ed to have the free ends of the ribbons re- I movably secured thereto. In' the particular,

device illustrated I'have shown-each of the ribbons'as provided with a washer 14, 15", 16, and 17 preferably constructed of soft flexible material, such as leathi; and these r washers are adapted to be threaded upon the pin 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The pin 18 is preferably provided with a'relatively large head 19 formed at one end thereof in order that the washers upon thegfree end of the ribbons may be threaded upon the pin 18 from only one end of the same. Inorder to prevent the washers after they have been threaded upon the pin 18 .from;becoming accidentally disengaged from the same, I have shown the forward end of this pin as provided with an enlargement such as 20, which is sufficiently large to fit snugly within the hole 21 formed through each of the washers. However, it will be apparent that 7 various other means may be'provided for preventing these washers from becoming accidentally disengaged from the free end of cured to the back or cover 11.

the pin 18. I o

In mostapplications of my invention it will be found desirable to provide means for removably s'ec'uringmy' book-marker to the book upon which the same 1S to be used, although this is not an essential feature ofmy invention and for this purpose I have provided the clips-22 and 23 (see'pan ticularly F 1g. one of which is adapted to be removably secured to the back or cover 10, whilethe other is to be .removably se- These clips 22and 23; are preferably connected by a flexible member, I such, for example, as a spring 24, to which the ribbons may be tied, as shown in the drawlng. Each of the clips 5 illustrated consists of a skeleton-like frame constructed of resilient metal and provided with a finger 25 formed integral therewith and projecting from a marginal portion of the frame into the skeleton-like structure,

as clearly shown in Fig. 2;

In the use of my invention, the bookmarker is preferably attached to the back of the book by means of the clips 22 and V r 23, as shown, then as soon as the various passages to be referred to in this book have been determined from some other book, one of the markers or ribbons 17 is placed between the pages'to mark thelast passage to be referred to in the anticipated reading,

and thewasher 17', of this ribbon is threaded upon: the pin 18, then the next to the last passage tobe referred to in reading the same bookis designated by the marker 16, and the'washer 16f upon this marker is threaded upon the pin 18. Then the third from the last passage to'be referred to is similarly V I marked by themarker'15 and its washer 15 is threaded upon the pin, and finally the first passage tobe referred to in reading this bookis designatedby the marker 14 and its" washer 141 is; the last toibe threaded upon 4 the "pin, so that in starting out to read these various passages in accordance wlth the predetermined order, the first washer 14- is disengaged. froniits pins and as soon asthe page designated thereby has been found, this marker may be thrown back of the book out of the way, and as soon as this passage has been read, the washer 15 which designates the passage next to be read, is disengaged from 1ts pin and thrown back out of the way as soon as the book has been opened to this second passage. In this manner it will be seen that the various" passages to be read maybe readily located in accordance with the predetermined order by simply disengaging a washer from the pin as each new place designated inthe'book is found. I 7

From the foregoing remarks it Wlll be seen that the passage in the book last to be referred to is the first to be marked in 'pre-.

scribed book marker enables one to readily locate the various pages of a book in a predetermined order irrespective of the location of the same in the book, and that this is due to the fact that each washer may be arranged upon the pin'18 in a desired order irrespective of whether the page marked byr the same is near the back or the front of' the book. In other words, if the first passage to be referred to should be near the front of the book: and. the second near'the back of the book while a third passage lies in a portion of the book in between the first and second passages, the washers upon the ribbons markingthe passages may be prop.

erly arranged upon the pin by crossingone ribbon over the other so that the washer first disengaged from thepin'will mark thepassage near the front of the book, andthe next will mark the passage near the back; of the book, and a third washer will indicatethe position of the intermediate passage.

It will be apparent-that various changes may be made in the device herein disclosed without departing from the spirit of my in-..

vention as, defined in thefannexed claims.

Cla1ms:

1. A book merke'r' comprisinga plurality.

of ribbons adaptedftoi be inserted between t the pages of a book, s'aid' ribbons provided with means secured thereto, and akpin constructed to have said means removably arranged thereon in'such a manner that they. may-be disengaged'fromsaid pin in the orderin which the pages marked by said ribbons are to be referred to, said. means upon the r bbonsarranged to permit a portron of one vribbon between the 'saine' and,

tion to permit the portion of each ribbon between its washer and the book to be crossed over an ad acent ribbon 1n arranging the Washers in the order the pages of the book are to be referred to, and a pin constructed to have said washers arranged thereon in the order in which the pages marked by the ribbons are to be referred to. 3. A book marker for markingpages of a book and designating theorder in which the same are to be referred to, comprising a plurality of flexible markers adapted to be inserted between the pages of a book, pinengaging means upon end of said markers and positioned to permit the portion of said markers between said means and the book to be crossed over an adjacent marker in arranging the washers in the order the pages of the book are to be referred to, and a pin constructed to have said means arranged thereon in the order in which the vpages marked are to be referred to. i

4. A book marker, comprising a plurality of markers adapted to be inserted between the pages of a book, means for holding the ends of said markers in such an arrangement that they may be disengaged from said means only in the order in which the pages Vmarked by said markers are to be referred to, said markers constructed of flexible material to permit one to be crossed over the other in arranging theends of the same in the desired order upon said holding means.

5. A book marker comprising a plurality of ribbons or the like adapted to be inserted between the pages of a book, said ribbons provided with washers secured to an end thereof, and a pin constructed to have saidwashers arranged thereon in a manner to permit their removal therefrom only in the order in which the pages marked by said ribbons are to be referred to.

6. A book marker comprising a plurality of ribbons adapted to be inserted between the pages of a book, a headed pin, said ribbons provided with means constructed to be threaded upon said pin while the ribbon upon which the same is provided is inits marking position between the pages of a book, said pin provided with means for preventing the pin-engaging means from accidentally escaping from its end.

7. In a book marker a plurality of connected, fabricated markers adapted to be inserted between the pages of a book with free flexible end portions, extending from between the pagesxthereof, said end portions constructed to permit one; to be crossed over the other in-arranging the same in the order 7 in which the pages of the book are to be referred to, and means for'holding said end portions adjacent each other andin said order. 7 V

8. Ina book marker, a plurality of ribbons adapted to be inserted between the pages of a book, means for removably securing said ribbonsto a book, a headed pin, and flexible washers secured to the-free end of said ribbonsto be threaded upon said pin in the inverse orderthat the pages marked by said ribbons are to be referred-to, saidoin provided an enlargementremote from its head to prevent said washers from becoming accidentally disengaged therefrom.

name to this specification.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 

